Research News

Did you know that cells have their own secret language ... on their surfaces? more

Quantum leap on film

Quantum leap on film

January 31, 2022

An ultra-fast microscope combines atomic spatial and temporal resolution and thus enables unprecedented insights into the dynamics of electrons in molecules more

The Max Planck Society and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation recognize the achievements of Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, Anastassia Alexandrova, and Sumit Gulwani more

Mapping sugar

Mapping sugar

July 01, 2020

A new technique makes it possible to image the spatial structure of polysaccharides using a scanning tunnelling microscope more

A touch of gold and silver

For the first time, it is possible to produce crystalline layers of precious metals that consist of a single atomic layer and which are semiconducting more

A tale of shepherds and helices

A salt formed due to corrosion on a restored artwork features a structure that is known from the world of biology more

An ultrafast microscope for the quantum world

Processes taking place inside tiny electronic components or in molecules can now be filmed at a resolution of a few hundred attoseconds and down to the individual atom more

Quantum communication: making two from one

An electron involved in quantum tunnelling generates two photons much more frequently than theoretically predicted more

The minister and a delegation from the German Bundestag were shown the results of the successful collaboration with the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and the University of Tokyo. more

Light gets ions going

April 18, 2018
Light controlled current transport by charged atoms, now demonstrated for the first time, makes new applications conceivable more
Light gets ions going

Light gets ions going

April 18, 2018

Light controlled current transport by charged atoms, now demonstrated for the first time, makes new applications conceivable more

Thanks to improved resolution, a quantum sensor can now identify individual atoms in biomolecules more
Nuclear magnetic resonance scanner for individual proteins

Thanks to improved resolution, a quantum sensor can now identify individual atoms in biomolecules more

The first glimpse of a single protein

A folded protein molecule can be clearly imaged with the help of electron holograms more

Trickling electrons

November 07, 2016
Close to absolute zero, the particles exhibit their quantum nature more
In a self-organized process, a selected peptide forms a honeycomb structure on a surface more

Let there be hydrogen

October 16, 2015
An organic framework serves as a catalyst for the photocatalytic conversion of water into hydrogen more
Touchless displays could react to moisture emitted by the human body more
A $66.5-million investment from the Government of Canada—the single largest government investment in University of British Columbia (UCB) research—will enhance UBC’s standing as a global leader in quantum matter research and help connect university research with industry. more
Framework compounds: metal-organic transformations

The mechanosynthesis of cage compounds suitable for storing gases can be monitored in real-time with the help of X-ray powder diffraction more

Jumping crystals

January 07, 2015
Insights into structural transformations explain why mechanical tension causes some crystals to jump, while others crumble more
A light source and its transistor-operated brightness control shrink to the size of a single molecule more
How Paramecium protozoa claw their way to the top

Thanks to their asymmetrical form, the slipper-shaped microorganisms can swim to the surface of the water under their own steam more

Custom-made nanotubes

August 13, 2014
Carbon nanotubes can be specifically produced with a desired structure from suitable precursor molecules more
The atomic picture of magnetism

Atomic scale imaging of magnetic structures allows for new aspects of high-temperature superconductivity to be studied. more

Atoms and molecules on the same wavelength

Organic dye molecules are used as single photon sources and can be tuned to the optical transitions of alkali metals more

Quantum computation in diamond

February 19, 2014
Researchers have succeeded in performing a logic operation and error correction in a quantum register made from nuclear spins of the gemstone more

Resistance makes waves

December 23, 2013
There is a growing understanding of the conditions required for superconductivity and how it can be achieved at realistic temperatures more

New catalyst for fuel cells

December 13, 2013
Researchers discover a potential substitute for platinum more
This scanning tunnelling microscopy image shows how iron atoms and organic molecules become ordered in patterns on a gold substrate.

New catalyst for fuel cells

December 13, 2013

Researchers discover a potential substitute for platinum more

A folding ceramic

March 27, 2013
A sophisticated nanostructure renders a wafer-thin paper made of electrically conductive vanadium pentoxide fibres both tough and pliable more
A folding ceramic

A folding ceramic

March 27, 2013

A sophisticated nanostructure renders a wafer-thin paper made of electrically conductive vanadium pentoxide fibres both tough and pliable more

A new form of NMR technology gives scientists what they need to examine the structure of minute samples more
Charge density waves improve our understanding of the zero-resistance transport of electricity and could explain an unusual interplay of superconducting and magnetic materials more
Scientists from IBM and the German Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) have built a magnetic data storage unit that uses just twelve atoms per bit. more
The electronic and magnetic properties of thin films depend on the number of atomic layers which are stacked on top of each other more
A material that keeps its cool when hot

A great deal of energy could be saved if turbines and combustion engines operated at higher temperatures than they currently do. Ceramic high-temperature materials make this possible. more

Magnetic monopoles in spin ice

February 05, 2009
Inseparable, that is what the north and the south pole of a magnet usually are. In some solids, however, they can move independently and thus become magnetic monopoles. more

Evolution in the Nanoworld

October 30, 2007
This week, scientists publish images resolving molecules which have organized themselves into patterns according to size more
Scientists track at the atomic scale how individual molecules recognise each other more
Scientists measure the magnetic interaction between single atoms more

Economical and Flexible

March 01, 2007
Scientists construct complementary circuits from organic materials more
German scientists measured for the first time long-lived coordinated magnetic fluctuations in a magnetic material using a new neutron beam technique more
Four scientists honoured with the 2006 Europhysics Prize for developing and applying "dynamical mean-field theory" more
The Max Planck Society and the Technical University in Munich inaugurate a unique neutron spectrometer at the research neutron source (FRM-II) in Garching, Germany more
Local defects tune the vibrational modes of carbon nanotubes more
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